


Obligatory

by sweepingtree



Category: InuYasha - A Feudal Fairy Tale, 半妖の夜叉姫 | Hanyou no Yashahime | Yashahime: Princess Half-Demon (Anime)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Arranged Marriage, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Explicit Sexual Content, F/M, Multi, Romance, Slow Burn, sesskagu
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-04
Updated: 2021-03-07
Packaged: 2021-03-17 05:21:35
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 10,381
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29836638
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sweepingtree/pseuds/sweepingtree
Summary: This would be a contractual marriage. But she could negotiate another - a discreet one - with him personally.He had agreed to this on some levels. This meant there was something he wanted out of this arrangement too. For some reasons, Sesshoumaru needed to get married.She could do that.She could marry him.And with the right pushes, he could free her.
Relationships: Kagura/Sesshoumaru (InuYasha)
Comments: 7
Kudos: 43





	1. Nebulous Meeting

Kagura never thought being on assignment for Naraku in another city would end up like this.

Never thought she would accept a drink from a stranger, never thought she would agree when said stranger had asked if she would like to head up to his rooms, never thought she would be clawing at the buttons of his dress shirt as she made out with him in the elevator even before they’ve reached his room, never thought she’d end up in a bed that was not her own, with a stranger’s hand on her breast and a fanged mouth on her neck.

But what do you know? Here she was anyway, writhing on a plush bed that was several times bigger than the one she’d been provided in her own basic class room in the same hotel, trying not to be too embarrassing with the sounds coming out of her mouth as she gasped at his ministrations.

In her defence, he was _very_ pretty.

What was his name again? Somaru-? Sha-Shomaru? Whatever. She didn’t need it. Whoever named their child with a ‘-maru’ today anyway? What, did they think they were buying a boat? Fucking weirdo-

She gasped.

Gods, his tongue...

_Gods._

_Yes._

Her hand fisted in his long silver locks. The softest things she had ever felt. He had thrown his shirt aside and attacked her mouth the moment the doors of the hotel room were closed behind them. She had chuckled at his eagerness, but now...

_Fuck_. 

If she wasn’t so aroused, she would be mortified at the way her body was reacting to his.

Muscled arms lifted her back up from the bed and she felt him clawing at her bra clasps, not stopping with his work on her neck and chest. A small part of her mind that was still sober warned that she was going to bruise in the morning, and that she’d regret it, but she was too far gone to care. A few more moments with him fiddling with the clasps and she found herself frustrated. 

Just what was it with men and their inability to remove bras? 

It’s literally just a loop that a hook goes into?

She summoned a gust of wind that pushed him down on the bed with a huff, straddling his hips. Her hands went to the back to unclip the bra on her own, and she threw those aside impatiently. She looked down. His hair was fanned out on the white sheets, his golden eyes dark with arousal as they travelled slowly across her body, his mouth slightly parted. His bare chest was muscled, with magenta streaks slashing across his pecs identifying his full-blooded status. 

Hmm. Pretty. 

The hot length between her legs was solid. It was a good size. 

She smirked. 

He wanted her as badly as she did him. 

A hand had gone up to cradle her neck and she found herself lying prone on the bed again. He tugged at her skirt. It had bunched up around her waist when she had straddled him. A moment later and it was off. Hmph, at least he was better at that then with the br-

He’d closed his mouth around one nipple. 

She moaned deeply, grabbing at his hair again as he tasted her breasts. It might have been awhile since her last body, but this man knew what he was doing. 

And he did it very well. 

His lips wandered further down her torso, nipping at her hip bones. He trailed lower still, and she gasped when she felt his breath at her core. He brought his fingers up, hooking at the seams of her panties. He paused, suddenly.

Fuck, why did he stop-

He ripped them.

Fuck.

This _motherfucker_ -

What the _fuck_ did he think he was doing?

Those cost-

He dropped his lips to her clit, and her mind shattered. She tugged at his hair involuntarily, inciting a deep growl which only sent a jolt of heat to her core. He did not stop, bless him. His tongue slid over her clit, again and again and again, the soft and warm muscle driving her closer and to her peak. 

He pushed her legs further apart, and slipped a finger into her slit, and then another. Curled them.

The sound she let out could have been from an animal.

Gods, yes.

Yes.

Gods, she was _so fucking close._

He continued, with his fingers inside her and his tongue gliding over her nub. The pressure in her core grew. She was almost there, almost there, just a little more and-

His lips closed around her clit and sucked.

Kagura _screamed_.

Her back arched as her orgasm rushed through her body like a tidal wave. She felt her thighs closing around his head and she rode through her climax and could feel her slit tightening around his fingers, pulsating intensely. His arms held her down firmly, not letting up until the waves of her orgasm died down.

Fuck. 

Holy fucking shit.

Just-

_Fuck._

She had never been eaten out like that.

He _did_ know what he was doing. 

He sat up, looking down at her as she lay gasping for her breath, her blood thundering in her ears. His eyes travelled across the length of her body as he dragged a hand across his chin.

“Are you on birth control?” His voice was a deep rumble as he tugged at his belt. 

She nodded, breathing heavily and not trusting herself to speak. Her mind still clouded over from the intensity of her orgasm. 

“Good.” He got his pants off. She pushed herself up on her elbows just as he worked his briefs off his hips. A moment later and his length was exposed, stiffly pointing at the ceiling. 

Mmm, it was a good size indeed.

She smirked, and got on her knees. 

She would repay the favour.

A push on his well defined abdomen was all it took to reverse their positions, and now she hovered above him. Kagura breathed as she took in the sight before her. His breath came quick and heavy, and his pupils were so dilated his eyes could have been brown. She let her hand trail over slowly from his collarbones, smirking when she elicited a hiss as her nails brushed a stiff nipple. She moved it further down to the tufts of silver hair that marked the juncture between his hips and legs.

And then both her hands were on his length. She fisted it in a tight grip, and was rewarded with a sharp intake of breath for that. 

She bent lower, squeezing the shaft. It warmed delightfully in her hands and she marvelled at the way it throbbed. He had pushed himself up with his shoulders, eyes burning on her with an intensity she had yet to experience from anything else. 

She grinned. Boy wanted a show?

_She would give him one._

She leaned forward, taking him into her mouth, pushing it all the way to the hilt in a single move down her throat. She felt his hips buck, just very slightly, and long fingers raked her scalp. She smirked with her lips wrapped around his thickness. 

Yeah, she was good at this too.

She withdrew, and met his eyes, finding herself struck by the intensity of those deep golden pools. She let her tongue flit over his frenulum softly, lapping at it like she would a popsicle. His breathing was controlled, and expression flat, and a less observant person would mistake that as indifference. But she saw his Adam's apple work when he swallowed. She closed lips over the tip, flicking her tongue gently over the slit as she suckled.

His lips parted, and collapsed his head back onto the bed, exhaling a straggling heavy breath. The hand in her hair tugged harder as she continued sucking at his length. It was so hot, and she felt herself growing wet when she imagined it within her. She could feel it twitching against her lips and-

He pulled at her hair, hard enough that she raised her head, annoyed.

Tch. 

What the fuck was his prob-

He sat up, grabbed her at the waist and flipped her so _she_ now laid on the bed. He pushed her legs apart and crawled between them, hovering above her. 

Oh, so he was impatient.

She would have smirked if she wasn’t also squirming with anticipation, groaning when his lips once again found their place on her neck. His length was poking at the entrance of her slit when he suddenly paused, raising his head and leaving her dripping with want. Why-

He gripped her jaw and met her eyes. She swallowed. Molten gold, that’s what his eyes were. _Shimmering, burning, molten gold._

“Tell me no and I will stop.” His voice was a low whisper. 

What?

Comprehending his words took a while in her heightened state. But when she did, she scoffed.

“Fuck me,” she answered instead, jutting her chin up as if in challenge. 

He did.

_Fuck._

He entered in a single rough stroke, eliciting a strangled groan from her throat. His nails sank into her hips as he began thrusting, building up a regular rhythm. He moved, and her hips were lifted off from the bed.

Yes, yes. Fuck.

His length hit at just the right spot in this angle.

_Fuck._

_Yes, don’t stop, don’t fucking stop-_

He grunted, and she felt a warm hand coming to rest on her abdomen. His thumb moved, and rubbed at her clit.

She pressed the side of her face onto the bed sheets, her mouth opened as if to scream and yet she was soundless, clawing at the sheets. This was too much, it was too-

She came. For the second time tonight. Her back arched as it coursed through her body.

He paused, and for a moment through the haze of endorphins that flooded her brain, she thought he had finished together with her. She blinked, panting heavily as she came down from the high of her orgasm. 

He met her eyes, then continued with his movements anew, leaving her gasping at the overstimulation. He'd pressed his face to her neck again, his forearms resting on the sides of her head. She could feel his hair brushing across her nipples, making her shiver. He moved with greater strength now, pounding with a single-minded focus. Kagura tried to move her hips with him, not wanting to be lying there passively. 

A moment more, and he stiffened, breathing heavily in her ears as he finished inside of her.

He withdrew after a heartbeat, collapsing next to her heavily, throwing an arm over his brows, chest rising and falling rapidly as he breathed deeply through his nose.

She chuckled, breathless herself. She was fully sober now. The pretty stranger made sure of it.

That was _good._

She hadn’t been fucked like that in a long- 

No. She’d never been fucked like that. 

Ever.

His hair was strewn across the bed sheets and she found her fingers tangled in its strands. She turned her head, studying his profile. He had a tall nose, and full lips that now lay slightly apart. The magenta streaks on his cheeks highlighted his delicate features, spreading out from where his strong jaw connected with his ears.

...pretty. 

His eyes flicked open, sliding sideways to stare at her. She startled at the intensity, but did not look away.

Hm, had he felt her staring? 

He pushed himself up with his forearms, running a hand through the front of his hair. He turned his head slightly to glance at her.

“Again?” He asked, his voice a low rumble. 

She blinked.

Already?

Had he recovered then?

Well, she wasn’t going to look a gift horse in the mouth, and it _had_ been some a while since she had time to herself like this; away from Naraku’s surveillance. 

She might as well have some fun with it. Kagura smirked in response.

“Sure.”

\------

  
  


More than a year later, Kagura finally learnt the pretty stranger’s name. 

It was not Shomaru, as she had thought. It was _Sesshoumaru_ , and Sesshoumaru was the son of the Goddess of the Sky. The heir to her conglomerate, apparently. 

Shocker.

He was _here_ , sitting, halfway across the room from her and next to his mother, looking just as beautiful as he did when he gave her the best fucking of her life. He had on a nice three-piece; uniformly a deep blue-gray, and tailored, probably. Those long silver locks which she had so tightly grabbed onto when he ate her out to orgasm multiple times that night were gracefully swept over one shoulder. While his posture was alert and his appearance pristine, his expression was one of bored disinterest.

His eyes flicked over hers briefly when she entered the opulently decorated room, though they bore no recognition.

Could he have forgotten her?

She would have snickered at the ridiculousness of it all, but she was here on Naraku’s orders, and he was here, too. She knelt on the zabuton when he gestured for her to do so, careful not to pull on the burgundy houmongi that she was wearing. She had been instructed to dress in one for the meeting today, for the inu-daiyoukai were known to be traditionalists, and for some reasons, it was imperative that she impressed.

_“If this negotiation falls through, I’m taking a limb.” Naraku drawled lazily. “It wouldn’t hurt you much, would it? Simply ground you for, what, three months? So feel free to jeopardise it if you wish.”_

She clenched her jaw. Naraku did not play around with his threats. Sure, he could have made them on a whim, but he made sure it was carried out if she failed to do as he needed. 

Although...it would have been easier for her not to mess up if he fucking told her what the negotiation was about. All she had been instructed to do was to ‘play the part of a good daughter’. 

She supposed that just meant appearing demure and keeping her mouth shut.

Well, she could do that. 

She kept her hands tightly clasped on her lap, looking up at the guests in front of her and smiled. 

The Goddess smiled back at her, giving her a shallow nod, and for a moment Kagura was left breathless by her shocking beauty, which she had long known from her reputation but, until today, had yet to witness for herself. She returned it with a deeper incline of her head, as was befitting of one her station. She considered what she knew of the demoness before her. The Goddess of the Sky was her title, and her real name unknown and widely speculated upon. She had a husband, and they shared a mistress. Together, they have two sons. Her empire spanned East Asia and Europe. She was also _much_ too powerful and wealthy to be negotiating anything at all with Naraku. 

What in all ten hells were the inu-daiyoukai thinking, associating themselves with the likes of him?

Next to her, Naraku had extended a hand. “Goddess, I am honoured to be a guest at your beautiful home.”

“My warmest welcome, Naraku, though I hope you would excuse my husband’s absence for our meeting today.” She nodded, the smile on her immaculately painted lips a gentle curve. “He had prior engagements which he was unable to shake as we had earlier explained in our correspondence. He offers his regrets.”

Sure. ‘Regrets’.

She, too, would choose to skip out of a meeting with Naraku if she could. 

Her father smiled, layering on the charm. “Not at all, Goddess. It is my greatest honour to be meeting with you at all. My kindest regards to the General.”

“I will, though, he has not used that title in years. He would be amused to hear that people still refer to him by it.” The inu-daiyoukai chuckled. “This is my eldest son, Sesshoumaru. I believe you might have met him a few years ago?”

“Ah, yes, we have. It is pleasant to meet you again, Sesshoumaru.”

Kagura glanced over at him, keeping her smile smoothly on her face. The Goddess’ son was expressionless as he turned to look at Naraku.

They’ve met?

Pretty boy inclined his head in response. 

Naraku smiled, continuing. “Seeing as you have joined us in the discussion today, could I assume that you find the idea to be agreeable?”

Kagura blinked, consciously making sure that her features did not betray her surprise. Sesshoumaru was part of whatever the negotiation was about today? Was the Goddess stepping down from her duties in favour of her son then? What was she-

It was subtle and slow, but the younger daiyoukai’s smile was a cold and dangerous thing.

She felt a prickle at the back of her neck.

“I found myself curious.” He said, simply. 

His eyes met hers, and her breath caught. That same shade of gold that haunted her dreams on occasion. She had not seen anything else that burned into her eyes with the same intensity in the time since they’ve met.

His smile stretched wider, fixing her with his stare.

Oh.

He remembered her alright.

She swallowed.

Naraku chuckled, stretching out a hand to gesture at her. “This is my eldest, Kagura. She will be in her twenty-ninth year this month. Just a few years younger than yourself, I believe.”

Kagura almost frowned at that, but she schooled her features just in the nick of time. Why the fuck was her age of any interest to the inu-daiyoukai? 

Part of playing the part as a good daughter meant not questioning her sire, so instead, she bowed, smiling as she raised her head. Sesshoumaru’s eyes had not left her. Not for a moment. He gave her a shallow nod in return.

The Goddess responded. “Lovely to meet you, Kagura.”

“It is my honour, Goddess.” She replied, in the way that was expected of her. 

“Your homongi is beautiful, child. It matches the colours of your eyes quite marvelously, and is as lovely as you are.” She said with a nod, eyes crinkling in a smile. Then, chuckling with a hand to her lips, she continued, “Your father must have mentioned it, but say, what is it that you do? It is to my understanding that you have a position in his corporation?”

She inclined her head. “Yes, Goddess. I run the galleries and performance stages under the Onigumo name.” 

A well practiced cover. 

She _did_ run the galleries, but that was not her primary work. 

She was Naraku's Knife.

An assassin.

Not that the matriarch of the inu-daiyoukai family needed to know that.

“Oh! The Onigumo arts and cultural properties are impressive. You are so young to be running such a large sector.” The inu-daiyoukai took a sip from the tea cup at her wrist. “Sesshoumaru here had never been interested in helping out with the family business, unfortunately. Insisted on doing his own thing.”

She smiled at her son. “Though, that had paid off quite well, hasn’t it?”

Kagura looked at him.

He had not ceased his staring, but at his mother’s question, he turned to look at her.

“Of course.” He replied, his voice smooth and deep - just like she had remembered - his face an emotionless mask.

And then he was staring back at her again.

Shimmering, burning, molten gold. 

\-----

_The scent of a thundering storm over the ocean._

Sesshounaru had scented her even before she had stepped foot into the room. He was surprised and intrigued, and had wondered if it had come from one of the staff that Naraku kept on his retinue.

And then she had walked in after Naraku to sit beside him, looking exactly as she did when he had first laid eyes on her the year before, and then Naraku had introduced her as his daughter, and it had taken all his willpower and strength not to stare at her in shock.

This was the woman his parents wished for him to marry?

The wind sorceress from a single night of...unbridled lust a year ago who plagued his memory like a fishing hook to flesh - _she_ was the slimy spider demon’s daughter?

He had scoffed when his father had approached him with this proposition, several months ago. His mother meant to see him married, the Inu no Taishou had said, and that she needed him settled, hopefully with an heir, before she felt confident in transferring her ownership of the various family properties over to him. She meant to retire, and would have been satisfied with passing over her empire to his half-brother, as it had always been planned since Sesshoumaru had publicly declared an intention for a full separation of his businesses with hers. That had changed, however, when Inuyasha pulled a full one-eighty earlier this year by denouncing his affiliation with the inu-daiyoukai clan and going into the _public service_ with his human fiancee. 

Izayoi was heart-broken over Inuyasha’s actions, his father had said. If Sesshoumaru were to refuse to pick up the mantle, the inu-daiyoukai family would lose both of its sons. 

His father had been coercive, as it usually went with him, hinting unabashedly at the strings that he could pull - that his mother could pull - that would unravel Sesshoumaru’s own budding investments into a pile of loose threads like a ball of yarn passed through a litter of kittens. 

At least consider it, Touga had requested. 

So he did. He had no personal relations with any living persons, human or demon, and getting into a contractual marriage would be nothing more than an inconvenience for a year or two; A prenuptial agreement could guarantee that his businesses stayed mostly intact even after a divorce. 

A small price to pay for the enormity of the wealth that he would inherit. A wealth that - while he had initially rejected due to his desire to build his own from the ground up - he realised he now had the ability to liquidate and redirect to fund whichever projects that he wished, an ability that he had not had at his disposal when he had demanded for independence many years ago. 

So he considered, and when his mother called him asking if he would be so filial as to accompany her to a meeting with the head of the Onigumo corporation and his daughter, Sesshoumaru had agreed, just to see where the conversation would lead.

And to see what Naraku was plotting with this ploy. 

His parents may have their seats so high up in the clouds that they care not for the happenings in the gutters, but Sesshoumaru preferred to keep a close eye on all that could potentially become a variable in his affairs. 

And in the past few years he had learnt: look in any direction long and hard enough, and a spider’s mark would show itself. 

The owner of said spider mark was now flirting openly with his mother. She would love that, of course. Naraku was an attractive man, and she never did care too much for subtlety. His mother would have seen through what the spider demon was doing, but her being her, she probably enjoyed it. 

He turned his attention back onto the woman - Kagura. Her hair was pulled into an elegant updo, and a thick fringe of dark hair framed her rubious eyes. Her lips were painted a sharp red, and it stood out starkly against her fair skin. He had tasted those same lips many months ago. Had felt its kisses on his neck. Had felt them wrapped around his cock. Had watched them stretch into an o as she orgasrmed. Had-

He snapped himself back to reality, clenching his jaw. 

_Not now._

He forced himself to tune in back to what his mother was saying, banishing the stirrings of lust that had shot to his loins.

“-at all, Naraku. Touga and I are glad that you would even consider our Sesshoumaru for a match in the first place. It is time this boy settled down. The world is ready for the younger generation.”

Kagura frowned, glancing at her father. She looked...confused?

He blinked. 

Ah. 

Could it be that she did not know the nature of the discussion for the meeting today?

His eyes narrowed, quietly observing as Naraku continued layering on the flattery with nauseating frequency. 

Why? Why would Naraku not let his daughter know before bringing her along today?

A sudden thought crossed his mind, and he almost frowned at the alarm that it caused. 

Did Kagura _know_ who he was when she slept with him? Had _that_ been somehow, part of Naraku machinations?

He looked back at her. She was smiling politely at something Naraku had just said in response to his mother, and had lifted a finger to tuck her hair behind her ears. Her behaviour today was...different from what he remembered. 

Softer. Gentler.

Why was she pretending to be a delicate flower?

And why was his _mother_ pretending to have been bought by her act?

His thoughts were interrupted by his mother placing a hand on his arm.

“Oh, Kagura! My Touga keeps a sizable collection of art works in a gallery in the south wing of our home.” She looked at him pointedly, a saccharine smile on her lips. “Perhaps, Sesshoumaru, you could show her around? As a gallerist herself, I think she would enjoy it.”

He would have scoffed. Of course his mother would lead to this.

She turned back to Naraku. “What do you say, Naraku? We let the young ones get to know each other better while we bring this discussion forwards? They can join us again later.”

“A fantastic suggestion, Goddess. After all, we wouldn’t want to force upon them anything they did not agree to.” He turned to him and chuckled. “I’ll leave my daughter in your hands then, Sesshoumaru.”

He inclined his head in response. Fine by him. He had expected this.

Time to see what he could pry out of the wind sorceress. 

\-----

_What the fuck was going on?_

_What the fuck was going on?_

_What the fuck was going on?_

If she didn’t know any better, Kagura would think Naraku was trying to _matchmake her_ with the son of the inu-daiyoukai family. 

But that was impossible.

Was it?

She walked in silence, two steps behind Sesshoumaru as he led the way, her head troubled by convoluted thoughts. To call the mansion huge was an understatement. It was _massive_. Her zori made clear clicking sounds on the marbled flooring as she walked, forced to take smaller steps than she normally preferred with the houmongi that she had on. 

He was walking slower to accommodate her, she realised to her surprise. But she supposed being refined and gentlemanly was behaviour expected of the eldest son of such a prestigious family. Why did the Goddess-

“This would be my father’s gallery.” He said as they rounded a corner, gesturing to a set of tall double doors. She looked at him and smiled, clearing her throat.

“Thank yo-”

“Why are you here, Kagura?” He interrupted. He spoke calmly, his voice soft and low as she had remembered.

She paused. 

_I don’t fucking know what’s going on._

But she couldn’t possibly say that, could she?

Instead, she smiled, meeting his eyes. “Weren’t you just going to show me the works in your father’s collection?”

He scoffed, and narrowed his eyes at her. 

“Just out of curiosity, why did you agree to this?”

Huh?

“I’m sorry?” She frowned.

“Did you already plan this months ago when you approached me in that bar in Kyoto?”

She raised a brow. What the _fuck_ was he talking about?

“ _You_ approached me, good sir.” He did. She had just wanted to drink alone in peace. Did he fucking forget that?

He scoffed. 

“And now you want to marry me? From what I know of the Onigumo family, you are not hard up for money at all. So why did you agree to this?”

Her eyes widened, and she felt the air knock out of her lungs. She had stopped listening when he said _marry_. 

He said _marry_ , right?

What the fuck did he mean by that?

A look of understanding crossed his face, and he nodded absently, almost as if to himself. 

“Indeed, you were not aware.”

No fucking shit. Irritated, she retorted.

“What do you mean by marry you?”

“My parents mean to see me married off and settled. Your father wanted a good match for you. Today’s meeting was meant for us to meet, and then decide if we would proceed with the engagement or not.”

What the fuck?

Kagura swallowed, suddenly aware of how the large halls left her exposed. Her fan was in her pouch, within reach should she need it. But-

This wasn’t something she could fight her way out of.

Naraku had planned this. He did not inform her beforehand of his plan intentionally so that she would be thrown off balance. She had to-

She calmed herself. She couldn’t fuck this up. 

Not this time.

She breathed. “I was not consulted before coming along today. But-”

Her eyes widened, a realisation hitting her so suddenly that she felt herself becoming dizzy.

This man in front of her was _Sesshoumaru_. 

The heir to the inu-daiyoukai empire.

The pretty stranger that had fucked her senseless that many months ago was a _power._

She could-

She could use him.

Her mind raced. This would be a contractual marriage, with terms discussed between Naraku and the Goddess of the Sky and her husband. But she could negotiate another - a discreet one - with him personally.

He _had_ agreed to this on some levels. This meant there was something he wanted out of this arrangement too. For some reasons, Sesshoumaru _needed_ to get married. 

She could do that.

She could marry him.

And with the right pushes, he could _free_ her.

She cleared her throat, and continued. “So why did _you_ agree to this? You didn’t know who you would potentially be marrying before today. And I doubt you’re all that excited to marry me just because we’d fucked before. Surely with someone of your calibre, attracting a wife couldn’t be all that difficult, could it?”

If her coarse use of language disturbed him, he didn’t show it. Though...could he have some kind of secret deficiency that was keeping potential mates away? Kagura almost snickered at that thought. 

“I was curious.”

She rolled her eyes. 

“And now? Here I am. You’ve seen me.” She smirked. “And not for the first time too. You saw a lot more of me the other time.”

He snorted. “I did.”

“So what now?”

“So now,” he moved, coming closer until she could feel the heat emanating from his chest, “I talk to Naraku’s beautiful daughter, and ask her what exactly her father is planning, and why she was pretending to be a sweet and demure innocent in front of my own Lady Mother.”

Kagura swallowed, resisting the urge to step back. She stared back impudently at the intense golden eyes he was using to intimidate her. 

“Your Lady Mother happens to be the Goddess of the Sky. There was no way I was going to risk my own future by offending her.”

He pondered on that, and grunted. It was a reasonable explanation.

“And your father? What does he want?”

She paused. Possible responses to that question were multitudinous, and none of them seemed entirely accurate or appropriate in this situation. But...

She took a gamble.

“I don’t know what Naraku is planning.”

He frowned, and said nothing. Waiting.

If her hunch was wrong, if this failed, Naraku would-

She dug her nails into her palms. 

No. 

_No._

This was no time to second-guess herself.

So she continued, inhaling deeply. “You shouldn’t trust him, but I can give you a counter offer in this discussion.”

Sesshoumaru blinked slowly, keeping his eyes fixed onto hers. He was standing so closely that the tie on her obi almost touched his jacket. A sudden flash of memory to the night when they had gotten closely acquainted with each others’ bodies crossed her mind, and she dug her nails deeper in her palms to ground herself to the present. 

_Kagura, you stupid slut. Focus._

It seemed grueling minutes before he finally looked away, taking a few deliberate steps from her as he looked down the long corridor where they had come from.

“Explain.”

“I can act the role of your wife. For however long it is necessary.” She continued, glad to find that her voice had not failed. “It is obvious that you need that fulfilled, for some reasons that are yours and yours alone. I would not pry any further.”

Silence filled the space between them.

“And in return?” He asked, not turning to look at her as he did.

“In return-” she took in a deep breath to steady her nerves. “In return, there is something I want from Naraku. You will retrieve it for me.”

He turned his head sharply to look at her, the same emotionless mask strapped onto his face.

“Are you not his daughter?”

“I am.”

He cocked his head to a side, but did not ask further. It seemed that was sufficient as an explanation for him.

“And what if I went to him now and told him of our conversation?”

No-

Her eyes widened and panic gripped her heart. No no no- He couldn’t- She swallowed. Not now, she couldn’t lose her composure-

But he had turned to face the corridor again, looking away from her.

“I will not.” He continued. “Incidentally, I agree with your assessment: I do not trust him.”

She let herself breathe. 

Good, good. She couldn’t entirely trust this Sesshoumaru’s words, but this was a start. He needed something, that much was for certain. That he was still continuing with this conversation spoke volumes.

His hand had reached into an inner pocket of his suit. He pulled out a slim metal case. He turned and stepped closer, sliding out a piece of white card and handing it over to her.

She took it with two fingers, and looked.

His name card.

“Give me a call. I will arrange for my lawyers to be in contact.”

Then he extended a hand out, gesturing. “Shall we return? Our presence must have been missed.”

She nodded. 

It had _worked._

For now, at least.

She would have to be careful as she navigated the rest of the way.

She took a step in the direction back to where they had come from, noting how he followed closely behind.

Back to the gentlemanly manners she supposed.

So she led, and he followed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok, I don't know how this will turn out but this AU has been stuck on my mind for AGES. There was a prompt floating around on tumblr recently and I decided to take some liberties with it 👉👈 Hope you guys can let me know what you think of this one too! All feedback and critique welcome! Probably would be updated weekly (?) I guess.
> 
> (Also if it isn't clear - Inukimi, Touga, and Izayoi are in an open poly throuple and the women take turns pegging him. No, you can't change my mind!!!!!)


	2. Negotiations

“Naraku means to steal from me.”

He turned to look at his mother, raising a brow. She had made herself comfortable in the loveseat, having thrown her suit jacket carelessly over the armrest. She lounged with one leg crossed over the other, lifting up a portion of her hair hanging over her shoulders with her fingers to inspect at the ends.

She had turned up at his office unannounced, just one day after he had joined her in the meeting with Naraku and Kagura, and was now being intentionally opaque so as to drag out the conversation longer than it had to be.

Sesshoumaru felt his irritation grow. 

He sighed. “Steal from you, mother?” 

“Hn. He’s using his daughter as a means of getting closer to you, and then to what he wants. A classic seduction con. It’s just that I haven’t figured out what exactly he wants.” She paused, then smirked, looking up from eyeing her hair to smile at him. “Is his scheme working, though?”

So she was aware that Naraku had something ulterior planned.

He scoffed. “This was a meeting that you and father had arranged. I wanted no part of it.”

She waved her hand dismissively. “Ah, son. Of course, of course. Did you learn anything about the girl while you went on your quiet stroll? She’s pretty cute, isn’t she?”

He frowned, not deigning to answer. His mother chuckled.

“Why are you treating with Onigumo?” He asked instead, taking a seat opposite of her. “The corporation is beneath your notice.”

“Ah, but it isn’t beneath yours.”

“What do you mean by that?”

She sighed dramatically. “Can’t a mother look out for the well-being of her son?”

He clenched his jaw. Why must every conversation with Mother be like navigating a poorly-made maze? She had a point to make, she came all the way down to meet him personally because it was important that she made it. Why was she purposely dragging it out now?

He growled. “Mother.”

She chuckled, fingers raised to her lips. “Onigumo is growing at an alarming rate. You couldn’t have known, but Naraku closed a negotiation with Kirinmaru a few months ago. It’s all  _ very _ secretive. Only a handful of people know about it, actually.”

He raised his head sharply at the mention of that name.

Kirinmaru. His men had come to blows with his own just a few weeks ago.

She grinned, then his mother threw her head back and laughed. 

“The name rings a bell, I’m sure? Oh, yes, I know about your more... _ underground _ ventures. Can’t say I disapprove, or that I’m surprised.” She snickered. “You  _ are  _ your father’s son, after all.”

He narrowed his eyes. She knew the nature of his business? How did she get acquainted with Kirinmaru? She-

He scoffed.

“You’re fucking Kirinmaru.” It was the logical conclusion.

If she was taken aback by his bluntness, she did not show it.

“Fucked. Not fucking. He wasn’t all that good.” She corrected, raising a finger.

Sesshoumaru resisted the urge to roll his eyes. 

“Father knows?”

“Your father was there too.” She said, her smile sly.

Tch. 

Sounds about right. 

He closed his eyes, feeling the last of his patience seep away.

“Fine. Naraku and Kirinmaru are working in concert. That does not explain why you are treating with Naraku.”

Her eyes turned serious at his comment, and she abruptly leaned forwards, elbows on her knees as she faced him.

Glaring.

Her voice was quiet when she spoke, but it lashed out like a whip.

“I forget, sometimes, how _ young _ you are.” 

He frowned. This sudden change in her temperament was-

“They are making a joint bid for your properties, fool child.” She snapped, baring her teeth. “I am proposing this alliance for you, as superficial as it might be, so that it would be more difficult for them if they were to do so.”

“I don’t-”

“You should know very well the dangers of being in this business. You could not have made it this far on your own if you did not.”

“I can deal with-”

She scoffed. “Kirinmaru has cops on his payroll. So does Naraku. You intend on fighting your way out if you find yourself in a purified holding cell on some made-up charge? They would have you sealed up faster than you could shift forms.”

“It would not come to-”

“Why do you think Kirinmaru let it slip that he was working with Naraku? Just because I slept with him? Whatever plan they are working on, it is  _ tight _ , Sesshoumaru. And here you are, not seeing that at all even after I have told you as much.”

He did not answer. That his mother knew about the nature of his work alarmed him, but if she knew that then she should also know that brushes with law enforcement - or with rival outfits for that matter - were nothing new to him. Why was-

“Don’t forget. You have that human girl now, too.”

He blinked. She-

His mother was right. 

He was still becoming accustomed to the fact that he had a child under his protection. 

That fact had, embarrassingly, slipped his mind.

He let the silence sit between them as his mind worked. His mother would not lie, not to him. And he must admit - logically speaking - a contractual marriage would be an elegant answer, if his mother’s information could be trusted. It would not be a solution but it would definitely give Naraku pause to be placing his daughter under Sesshoumaru’s protection, and hence, control. Joining Kagura’s name with Sesshoumaru’s would also create an unshakeable link between both their businesses, making it difficult to extricate the Onigumo Corporation from whatever mess Naraku was planning for his investments, if he was.

Yet, if Kagura could be trusted at all, it seemed her relationship with her father was...complex, to say the least.

_ If  _ she could be trusted.

He shook himself out of his thoughts. 

That was another puzzle for another time.

He looked up at his mother, whose anger had dissipated as quickly as it had arrived like a tempest. As difficult as his mother was, she had never moved against him. Her rationale for the marriage made sense. He would have to appropriately express gratitude to his mother for coming to him with this warning.

And for being willing take the risks involved in negotiating with one such as the spider demon, just for him.

“Mother-”

“You should really consider this arrangement seriously, son.” She interrupted, a small smile on her lips. “Having said all that, I  _ do  _ want to see you settled too, you know? It was definitely one of the reasons why I pushed for this marriage. Your father and I have another meeting arranged with Naraku two weeks from now. Let me know your decision by then, won’t you?”

He sighed. He had to humour her. “You’ve never liked the girls I’ve brought back to meet you.”

She scoffed, gathering her suit jacket and standing to walk to the door. “Fragile waifish things. You didn’t even like them that much yourself, did you?”

He grunted, standing with her. “Hn. Then you like this Kagura, then?”

She stopped at his office door, turning to meet his eyes.

“Me? Oh no, I haven’t seen enough to decide if I liked her or not yet.”

He raised a brow.

“But I know  _ you  _ like her,” his mother grinned, a glint in her eyes. “You had a good time in Kyoto, didn’t you, son?”

His eyes widened.

_ How- _

_ What did she- _

_ How the fuck did she- _

His mother chuckled. 

“I’ll see myself out.” She smiled. “Do come back for dinner some time if you can. Izayoi does miss you so.”

And with that, she left. 

\-----

She was late.

By fifteen minutes.

This was to be their second meeting since they had first spoken a week ago at his mother's home. She had been late, as well, during the first one with his lawyer present to understand their mutual expectations for their arrangement.

Sesshoumaru slid his phone back into his pocket and crossed his arms, contemplating all the life choices that he had made up to this moment, particularly the ninety-eight paged contract that sat in a briefcase in his car. 

Did he really want to go through with this? If he was to marry this woman, he would be expected to attend public and social functions with her; the authenticity of the marriage mattered not.

This tardiness  _ would not do. _

He sighed, forcing down his irritation as a sudden gust of chilly autumn wind flicked strands of his hair over his face. He clenched his jaw as the scent of ozone and brine hit his nose together with it.

Tch.

Her imbecilic way of announcing her presence. He had barely spent any time with the woman he was bound to marry and already she was insufferable.

He rolled his eyes, running his hand through the front of his head to sweep his hair back.

She rounded the corner, dressed astonishingly thinly in a chiffon shirt and tapered dress pants for the autumn chill. Fallen leaves crunched under her boots and a simple canvas tote swung by her side as she walked. He felt his jaw tick again at the leisurely yet purposeful pace that she held her stride. 

Witch knew she was late and was showing that she did not give a fuck.

He found his gaze traveling downwards as she neared. Those pants showed off her shapely legs and-

Tch. 

Enough.

Not this again.

He pushed himself off from the hood of his car, frowning as she approached.

"Yo."

"You are late."

She raised a brow. "Was I? Huh. Didn't notice."

He ignored that, coming around to the passenger's seat and pulled the door open. He almost thought to return her poor manners in kind, but decided that was more trouble than it was worth.

Kagura smiled infuriatingly, teeth stark against bordeaux lips, as she settled into the car. 

He walked over to the driver's seat and got in himself, not bothering to shed his coat as he did. 

"So...where are we going? We're just going over the contract today right? Your cute lawyer isn't here today?" She asked in succession as he started up the engine. Kouga, his brother’s associate whom he had engaged for his penchant for being strict at keeping the discretion of his clients, had flirted unabashedly with the wind sorceress at their previous meeting.

He ignored that, pulling up the briefcase at his heel.

"The contract is in there. Read it through. A notary will be present later."

She scoffed, but took it from him, opening up the latch and leafing through the booklet enclosed.

"Ninety-eight pages." She said drily, raising a brow. "Perhaps mention that next time before we arrange to meet."

It was a statement that did not require a response so he did not provide one, keeping his eyes on the road.

Kagura sighed, and dug through her bag and grabbed her phone. She tapped at it for a few moments, her impractically long nails making annoying clicking sounds on the glass screen, before she held it up to her ear.

"Hey, it's me. I can't make the six o'clock. Yeah. Reschedule it for either tomorrow or next week, if he can wait." A finger twirled idly at a strand of her hair as she spoke. "Yeah, doesn't matter. Right. Ok then, thanks. Bye."

She ended the call, and scoffed, turning to him.

"That was a Murakami collector that I had to reschedule with. If I lose that deal, you're compensating me, yeah?"

He rolled his eyes, not deigning to answer. She cared not for his schedule, why should hers be a priority?

"So where are we going again?"

"My office." He grunted.

"I could have met you there. You didn't have to pick me up.

He scoffed. She had forgotten what they had agreed. Did she think he would not have saved the trouble for himself?

"We had come to the mutual understanding that we would allow ourselves to be observed together in public weeks prior to the engagement so as to make the transition appear natural."

"Oh, hn. Must have slipped my mind." She turned and faced him, smirking. "Was that why you're dressed so nicely today? This was supposed to be a date? This black turtleneck  _ does  _ make your hair-"

He growled. She was being obtuse on purpose.

"Despite our previous liaison, this Sesshoumaru has no interest in pursuing anything mo-"

She laughed, her voice a clear and sparkling thing.

"I know, I know. Relax. Can't you take a joke? This Kagura has no interest in you either, don't you worry."

A distant part of his mind bristled at the affront to his ego, but he swallowed it. He focussed on the drive as she continued with flipping through the contract. He let the silence sit in the space between them, the gentle hum of the engine and the sibilant flips of Kagura leafing through the contract the only sounds audible. The day had started out miserably wet. Grey clouds threw the sky into a sickly gloom, and he was glad to be sitting warmly in the car after waiting for her to turn up.

She broke the silence with a backhanded tap to his biceps.

He turned, and glared. How dare she-

"Hey, what the fuck do you mean by this clause? Are you expecting me to move in with you?"

He frowned, glancing at her as he made a turn. What other option was there? 

"Yes."

"Not happening. I'm perfectly fine in my own apartment."

"I will not risk a potential scandal by having my supposed wife residing in separate living quarters. You will live in your own rooms, and you have my word they will be arranged to your comfort."

"I'm not moving in with you."

"It is non-negotiable. The marriage will fall apart in public view in less than a month if you do not.

"No one would even know if we-"

"Are you familiar with the website Hanabanashi?"

"I- What?"

"Search it up."

She scoffed, and tapped furiously at her phone.

"Okay so it’s a news site. I don't see how that's fucking releva-"

That shut her up.

He glanced over at her phone screen, seeing a full-body picture of the very woman seated next to him, wearing the exact same outfit that she was wearing right now. 

Just as he had expected. It was taken mere minutes ago, right at the moment when he had opened the car door for her.

The website probably contained Kagura's name and her occupation by now as well.

"Wha-what is the meaning of this? You have stalkers? This is- some kind of a fansite?"

He scoffed. "Tabloids. Unavoidable in Tokyo."

She turned to him sharply, an incredulous expression on her face. "You didn't think to tell me about this earlier?" 

"You didn't anticipate that getting involved with the son of two of the most powerful demons in the country would shine some attention on you?"

"I- Fuck! Who would expect this? This was taken, what, five minutes ago? Please tell me there wasn't this rubbish when we were in..."

He shook his head, eyes focused on the road as he took a sharp turn. "They lose my trail when I am not in town."

She ran a hand through the front of her hair, frustration evident in the frown on her brows. "Fuck. Naraku would lose his shit if he knew I would be getting attention like this."

He cocked his head. Surely the leader of Onigumo would expect this to happen, would have  _ wanted _ this to happen. Was that not one of the reasons why he wanted his daughter married off to him? To reap the benefits of proximity with the inu-daiyoukai family?

Kagura shook her head. "Whatever. Can't be helped at this point, I suppose. Point taken. I'll move to your place, then."

She sighed, then continued looking through the booklet. They sat in silence for moments more, then she looked up, surprised.

"You're giving me alimony after we've divorced?"

"Hn."

"Feeling charitable?"

"Avoiding potential lawsuits."

"Hmph." 

They were but a few turns away from his office. There was another issue of import that they had to discuss, before their arrival. He was surprised she had not brought it up yet, considering-

"I had told you of my condition the previous time we met." She said, quietly.

There it was.

They had come to a stoplight. He turned to look at her.

She kept her eyes fixed on the papers in her hands.

"Are you confident that you can retrieve  _ it _ for me?" She asked, pointedly not looking at him.

'It' being her  _ heart _ , as she had explained.

Not her actual, physical heart, but a replica, and the energy linked to it, so that it allowed Naraku to grab at it as if it was the real thing. Sesshoumaru had not thought such a thing possible, had narrowed his eyes in suspicion at her claim, but she had let him feel her youki.

And then, with his hand hovering over her chest, he had felt it. 

A void.

There was a missing portion where her heart was positioned, the emptiness so shocking that he had found himself pulling away instinctively. That the spider demon would do such a thing to his own daughter was repulsive - an act so vile that Sesshoumaru had felt his own hackles rise. 

He saw her throat work as she swallowed.

He did not look away quickly enough when she looked up from the contract, and he met her eyes. 

Solidly coloured, with no pupils as it typically tended to be with elemental demons. They stared at him as if in challenge.

He frowned. There lay a depth that, were he not careful, he might fall in.

The traffic light flicked green. He tore his eyes away and turned his focus back on the road.

"Yes." Easier said than done, but he would see it fulfilled. 

"Within the two years?" That was how long they had agreed to keep the marriage for.

"Within one."

She nodded. Silent. She seemed to just take him for his word.

"You will find provisions for that in clause forty-seven. In case of my failure, you will be compensated." He continued.

She laughed, and tilted her head to glance at him.

"If you fail, I'll be dead."

Hn.

He had thought as much. 

They had reached his office premises. So he turned the car in to the parking area, saying nothing more.

\-----

Their engagement happened as most treaty signings went - nauseatingly ceremonious, anti-climatic, and troublesome in the amount of papers that needed to be signed. 

All three of Sesshoumaru’s parents were present, as were a handful of staffers and personnel whom she had not been introduced to. 

Kagura’s cheeks were sore by the end of it from the forced smiling she had to do. She was surprised, and felt a little stupid to learn that Sesshoumaru’s other mother - the Goddess and the Inu no Taishou’s mistress - was human. The younger inu-daiyoukai son  _ was  _ a half-demon after all.

The ceremony to officiate the marriage was arranged to happen next Sunday, a mere five days away, and she had already started with the process of arranging for her personal belongings to be moved to Sesshoumaru’s. He had kept true to his word, setting aside three fully furnished rooms for her private use during the time she would be married to him, and had permitted her to arrange for the installation of secure locks for her peace of mind. She had not been to his home in person yet, but Sesshoumaru had provided pictures when she had insisted. They looked fine, as far as she could tell, so she relented.

The man had a long stick of ice up his ass, but he was gentlemanly enough when he needed to be. She would give him that.

And her assessment had not changed since the first time she had seen him: he  _ was  _ ridiculously pretty.

She let herself idly admire his flowing long hair as she walked with a hand tugging at her houmongi so that she could walk without tripping, just a few steps behind him as he walked her and her father out of the building. Sesshoumaru had driven her here earlier, having picked her up at her apartment building. However, Naraku, in keeping up with the facade of being a loving father, had offered to drive her home in the pretext of wanting to spend more time with his daughter in the days leading up to her marriage. 

Nauseating, but she could not squirrel herself out of that.

She struggled to keep a frown from forming at her brows; a mild anxiety gnawed at her heart.

To date, Naraku had still refused to tell her what he was planning to do.

It...did not speak well for her.

They had reached the veranda at the entrance of the Goddess’ home, right in front of an ostentatious water feature, which was fringed by the driveway. Naraku’s driver pulled his shining silver vehicle up, and stepped out with efficiency to hold the door open for him.

She groaned inwardly when she realised who Naraku had assigned to be his driver today. 

Goshinki. Slimy, purple-haired mind-reader. 

Fuck. Just...fuck.

She inhaled deeply, steeling herself. She walked up to the car, as Naraku did, turning and nodding to Sesshoumaru who had stopped at the steps.

Next to her, Naraku chuckled. An unbidden chill went down her spine.

“I will see you soon then, my future son-in-law.”

Her fiance did not respond vocally, electing to simply give a slow incline of his head as her father settled himself in the backseat. Goshinki closed the door as he entered, and Kagura moved to enter from the opposite side of the car. 

She pulled open the door, meeting Sesshoumaru’s eyes as she did. 

He nodded at her. She returned it.

Then she closed the car door with a click as she sat, with Naraku but a foot away from her.

_ Goshinki is an ugly bastard. Goshinki is an ugly bastard. Goshinki is an ugly bastard. Goshinki is an ugly bastard. Goshinki is an ugly bastard. Goshinki is an ugly bast- _

She repeated the insult in her head like a mantra. A little trick she had discovered successfully kept the satori-youkai from reading her thoughts, so long as she stayed focussed. 

“Are you looking forward to becoming a married woman, daughter dear?”

She scoffed softly. “Sure. And remind me again, why am I getting married?”  _ Goshinki is an ugly bastard. Goshinki is an ugly bastard. Goshinki is an ugly bastard. _

“Can’t I just be looking out for my daughter?” He smirked.

She kept quiet. Waiting. He would not have wanted her in his car if he wasn’t planning to give instructions.

“How quickly can you get yourself into the younger inu-youkai’s bed?”

Kagura turned her head sharply at the question. He was staring at her, a sly smile on his lips that did not reach his eyes. 

_ Goshinki is an ugly bastard. Goshinki is an ugly bastard. Goshinki is an ugly bastard. _

“Beg your pardon, father?”

He sighed. “I know the marriage agreement said you would not be pressured into producing an heir. But I need you to get yourself pregnant with the dog’s child. You understand?” 

What?

She swallowed. 

“What are you planning?” She asked, her voice quiet.  _ Goshinki is an ugly bastard. Goshinki is- _

A searing pain gripped her chest, and the air knocked out of her lungs. Kagura pressed a hand to her chest, unbidden tears streaming down her cheeks when she screwed her eyes shut as agony ripped through her body. She felt her energy sapping. She clawed at her chest. She was going to- He would-

And then it ceased. 

She gulped at the air heavily, her hand still at her chest.

Bastard. This motherfucking bas-

No. She caught herself in time.

_ Goshinki is an ugly bastard. Goshinki is an ugly bastard. _

She repeated the insult over and over again in her head, finding a rhythm to latch onto as she caught her breath. Next to her, Naraku had withdrawn his hand from the inside of his suit jacket, smirking.

“Daughter dear, it is about time you learnt. If you need to know my plans, it will be made known to you.”

She swallowed, not trusting herself to speak.

“Get yourself with child as soon as it is possible. That Sesshoumaru may have an icy cold exterior, but he is just a man after all. Nothing you can’t handle, I’m sure.”

“And then what? Do you really think the Goddess will let you just come in and take away her grandch-” 

Another burst of pain erupted in her chest. It dissipated as quickly as it had started. Kagura clenched her fists tightly, the pain of her nails on her palms bringing her back to reality. 

“I want a child born. It has to be  _ his _ so don’t fuck around unnecessarily. That is all you need to know.” He drawled, pulling out his phone. “Is that clear?”

She gritted her teeth. “Yes, father.”

“I will be fair. You know I always am. Such things aren’t certain so I will give you a year to get it done. And don’t even think about terminating it. It has to be born, hale and whole.”

She swallowed, inhaling deeply. “And if it doesn’t come to pass? If I cannot- If he does not-” 

He rolled his eyes, waving a hand dismissively. “I have control of your medical records, Kagura. You are healthy and in perfect condition to carry a pregnancy to term. The young inu-youkai is robust and healthy as well. Just make sure you stop whatever birth control you are on. I will know if you don’t.”

She nodded, feeling her anxiety spike with every breath that she took. The car had almost arrived at the street where she lived. She was almost home. She recited the insult in her head, silently moving her lips as she focussed.  _ Goshinki is an ugly bastard. Goshinki is an ugly bastard. Goshinki is an ugly bastard. _

The car turned at a junction to her street. She breathed, feeling relief flood her system at the sight of the familiar building with its reddish brown facade. The car came to a stop, and she forced her movements to slow as she grabbed her handbag by the strap and worked the door handle.

She pushed the door open, inhaling deeply as the cool air assaulted her senses. She stepped out with one foot.

“Kagura.”

She swallowed, pausing. Naraku grabbing at her heart twice within the short trip it took to get here had thrown her off balance. She turned, facing her father.

“Say one word of this to the inu-daiyoukai, and I will have you killed.”

She swallowed again, nodding.

“You hear me?”

She had no choice. She never had. This was her life, as it had been since she was born.

Kagura closed her eyes, steeling herself.

“Yes, father.”

She stepped out of the car, closing the door carefully behind her. She dropped her head into a bow towards the car as was expected of her. Her heart throbbed violently in her chest and she willed the shaking in her hands to stop.

Then, thankfully, they left.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm trying so hard not to name Sesshoumaru's mother "Inukimi" in this work because it isn't her canon name and like, I just feel uncomfortable with it somehow. If yall can give me some suggestions for a name that I could give her that would be very Cool Beans, thank you 🥺
> 
> Hope you can let me know what you think about this chapter as well!


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